Peace in North Korea Could Cost $2 Trillion If History Is a Guide
Students take part in a mass dance event during celebrations marking the anniversary of the birth of late North Korean leader Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang on April 15.
Photographer: Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images
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How much would it cost to keep the peace on the Korean Peninsula? Around $2 trillion over ten years.
That’s according to Stephen Jen and Joana Freire at Eurizon SLJ Capital Ltd. in London who estimated what resources would be needed to ensure a denuclearized North Korea is economically viable. They drew on the example of Germany’s unification, noting that transfers from the West to East totaled more than 1.2 trillion euros, or around 1.7 trillion euros using today’s value.